The Mists of Hogwarts
by Lev Stone
Summary: A rewriting of the Harry Potter books using Marion Zimmer Bradley's style.
1. Prologue

The Mists of Hogwarts - Part the First 

By Lev Stone 

This is a retelling of the story of Harry Potter in the style of the late, great Marion Zimmer Bradley. That means that the perspective is shifted from Harry to Hermione. It also means that there will be a conflict of religious beliefs. This does not reflect any of my beliefs. This is in no way affiliated with Marion Zimmer Bradley or J.K. Rowling except to show how much I appreciate and admire them both. The story was written in the spirit of fun, and is not to be taken seriously. I have retained some dialogue from the book that I felt was important. One final note, Bradley often changed the spellings of her most famous characters. In that spirit, I am changing Hermione's name to Hermiony because it looks more archaic. 

Part I - The Prologue 

Hermiony Granger woke up to the warmth of the mid-morning sun. Certainly today seemed glorious. But Hermiony knew better. In a few hours time she board be on a train to Scotland heading directly into its stormy, highlands weather. She didn't care. For soon, she would be back at Hogwarts, the only other place she could truly call home. There she could be free. Free from the Muggle world and its blind rules. Free to practice her craft in peace. There she would be among her friends. She could never be happy among Muggles. Only at Hogwarts. 

"Well, that's not completely true," she thought to herself as a half-drowsy smile crept across her face. She had just spent the most marvelous summer in Bulgaria with her boyfriend, Viktor Krum. During the last term, he had asked her to visit him. "I never felt this way about any girl before," he had told her just before inviting her. Every time she thought about that, she flushed with pleasure. Viktor Krum was not just an ordinary nineteen year old wizard. He was a Qudditch hero. As seeker, he led the Vrasta Vultures to their twelfth consecutive Bulgarian League championship, and she had been there, cheering for him all summer as the Vultures competed for the European Cup. Vrasta did not win. The winners, the Holyhead Harpies from Wales, eliminated the Vultures in the semi-finals. As much as Hermiony had cheered for Viktor, she could not help but smile when thinking about the Harpies triumph. They were unique among professional Quidditch teams. Every member since the club's founding in 1203 had been female. Being in the stands cheering for Viktor, Hermiony felt like a grown woman. 

Hermiony had long considered herself an adult despite not yet reaching her fifteen birthday. Certainly she was far more mature than her classmates, and most of the older students too ("Just look at Fred and George Weasley - they haven't grown up yet, and they're entering their final year.") But even she had not been ready for what had happened this summer. Viktor told her he loved her. 

"I don't expect you to feel ze same way, Herm-own-ninny," he had told her, "but I love you. I never loved anyone before. Even time I am near you, I feel light-headed." 

Hermiony rose out of bed and looked at herself in her bedroom mirror. It didn't speak to her like the mirrors in wizard houses, but she didn't need it to say anything. "You're beautiful, bushy hair and all." she told herself not without a little pride and faint trace of humor. Viktor was quite the gentleman, and he would be a great husband to a lucky witch. But Hermiony did not love him. There was no spark between them. Her heart belonged to Ron Weasley. Since their first year at Hogwarts they had fought over everything. So many sparks between them. That's how she knew. He didn't, of course, but she did. That's why he was so jealous of Viktor. 

"Hermiony, get ready. We're taking you to King's Crossing in an hour," called her mother from downstairs. Hermiony felt a sharp pang of guilt. Her parents had desperately wanted her to stay home this summer. Since she entered Hogwarts, hundreds of miles away, she rarely saw them. She knew that they were afraid they would never see her again after her graduation. They were afraid that she would hurt herself with dangerous magic (they were not happy when they realized she allowed her formerly long front teeth to be shrunk magically. They wanted her to get braces like a normal girl, but they were both dentists so they were bound to be a little suspicious.) 

But as she finished packing up - just final touches like putting Hogwarts, A History in her trunk and some treats for her cat Crookshanks in her pockets - a sad thought crossed her mind. Her parents had no idea about the real dangers of her world. Hermiony had seen true evil. For she had been entrusted with a sacred task - protecting her dear friend, Harry Potter from the dark wizards who wanted him dead. 


	2. Chapter 1 - The Beginning

Part II - Hermiony Granger and the Sorcerer's Stone 

Chapter 1 - The Beginning 

For as long as she could remember, Hermiony had the Gift. No one could explain it, but strange things just seemed to happen to her. Very occasionally she could see the future. But mostly whenever she felt sad or angry, these unexplained things just occured. For example, when she was seven she could have sworn that a rock broke apart just because she sat on it. When she was nine was sitting on the sofa sobbing when she heard her mother scream. The sofa was floating in the air. She knew she did not control these things, but she felt like they were her fault. Maybe she just noticed it because she was sad. But Hermiony was sad often. Ever since she was little, her intelligence had set her apart from the other children. She would say things that sounded smart to adults, but to other kids sounded weird. No one came to her birthdays or came to visit her at the hospital after the doctors removed her tonsils. Her mother was her best friend, and Hermiony desperately wanted to be like her. 

But when she was eleven, a letter came out of nowhere. It was addressed to her, the large green ink was unmistakable. In place of a return address, there was a strange crest in which a lion, a snake, an eagle, and a badger surrounded a large H. Underneath the crest was a Latin expression that Hermiony didn't know. She asked her mother to read it, and as she read it, she started to laugh. 

"It means `never tickle a sleeping dragon.' Throw it away dear, it's clearly junk mail." 

"No, Mum. I want to see what it says." 

"Suit yourself." 

She was glad that she didn't throw it out, as ridiculous as the letter seemed. It was sent from a place called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, headed by a man with a curious name, Albus Dumbledore. 

"Dear Ms. Granger, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry." There had been some other information, about when the term began (her birthday) and a list of the materials she needed. It all seemed so real. Maybe that's why she was so different. She could do magic and she was going to go to a school where they would teach her. But then she read the last line of the letter. It also asked for her owl. Hermiony had never seen an owl outside of the zoo. Her heart sunk. For a little while she believed she was going to a school of magic. She had wanted to go to a good private school, but her family had neither the name nor the money to attract the attention of the most exclusive schools. But something about the signature at the bottom of the page made her believe in it. Minerva McGonagall. She felt like she knew that name. And that was reassuring. 

The next day, there was a knock at the door. Standing in the doorway was a tall woman in long emerald robes, a bun in her hair and a very serious face. All three Grangers stared at her in stunned silence for this woman's very presence commanded the utmost respect. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I presume," said the woman with a slight, but noticeable Scottish brogue. 

Hermiony's dad spoke up first, though somewhat timidly. "Yes." 

"I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I assume that Hermiony got her letter yesterday." 

"Yes, she got a letter and if it was meant to be a joke, it wasn't particularly funny," said Hermiony's mother - her voice rising slightly with anger. 

"I assure you it is no joke. Normally we try to keep our presence hidden from Muggles - non-magical folk like yourselves. But every once in a while, two Muggles have a child born with innate magical abilities. Hermiony's name has been listed at Hogwarts since her birth; she has that much magical potential. But you don't believe me. Allow me to show you." 

Suddenly the strange woman vanished and in her place was a cat with square markings around its eyes that resembled spectacles. 

"Ms. McGonagall, where did you go?" Hermiony's father was nervous. 

Then the cat looked up at him, and the woman reappeared. "Professor McGonagall, if you please. I am the professor of Transfigurations at Hogwarts." 

Hermiony spoke up for the first time. "You teach people how to change things? You were that cat?" 

Professor McGonagall looked impressed. "Most of my students, children from wizard homes, don't even know what the word transfiguration means until the first day of my class." 

"I read a lot, Professor McGonagall." 

"I'm sure you do, Ms. Granger. That will come in handy at Hogwarts. Hermiony, do strange things happen to you when you are sad or angry? Has anything ever floated or exploded around you and you never knew why?" 

"Yes." 

"My dear those were your nascent abilities. You're a witch and at Hogwarts we can train you to use your abilities to their fullest extent. I am here because as a Muggle-born, you have never seen the magical world. Do you wish to go?" 

"Mum, Dad?" 

Hermiony's mother spoke first. "Hermiony, if this is real, then the decision is up to you." 

"I want to go Mum." 

"Excellent," said McGonagall. "Now write your response on a sheet of paper and give it to me. Mrs. Granger, do you have any extra furniture that you don't need and don't mind if you never see again?" 

"I have an old lamp that no longer works." 

"Perfect. Fetch it please." 

When Mrs. Granger returned with the lamp (an ugly brown thing that was given as an anniversary present by Great-Aunt Vera three years ago), Professor McGonagall took it from her hands and pointed what looked like a wand at it. The lamp turned into a brown owl with bright yellow eyes. McGonagall put Hermiony's message in its talons. 

"Take this to Hogwarts immediately, and then wait in the Owlry." 

The owl flew out into the open sky. Professor McGonagall sighed. "I should have told it to be discreet. New owls always forget that they are not supposed to fly at night. Now, I shall return tomorrow at noon and take the three of you to Diagon Alley in London where we shall purchase Hermiony's school items. Bring money. It won't be able to buy you anything, but we can exchange it at Gringotts, the wizard bank. And be ready, I expect to leave by noon. Good day." She let herself out and seemed to vanish. 


	3. Chapter 2 - Welcome to the World of Wiza...

Chapter II - Welcome to the World of Wizardry  
Minerva McGonagall's presence intimidated the Grangers. So much so that they were all ready by ten thirty the next morning, just in case she arrived early. But true to her word, she appeared exactly at noon.   
"Good afternoon. I see we are all ready. Good. We don't have a minute to spare." She took a largish hand-mirror from within her robe pocket. "In exactly thirty seconds this mirror will take us to Diagon Alley. Everyone, grab hold of it or else you'll be left behind. The three Grangers each held onto the rim, feeling a bit foolish. Then without warning the house seemed to fall away. Hermiony, feeling as though someone was trying to pull her by the stomach, thought she would be sick. By the time the ride stopped, the Grangers were all toppled over in a back alley. They quickly got up and followed McGonagall.   
"We're in London. How did we get here? And where are we going? And how will we get back?" asked Hermiony's father.   
"We were transported here by a portkey, a device used for that purpose," said McGonagall. "They can only be used at specified times. It would have been easier to use floo powder, but your house isn't connected to the floo network. You have to be ready to leave by three o'clock for the return trip or else you'll be stuck in London. As to where we're going...." She stopped, "Look ahead. Mr. Granger, what do you see ahead of you?"  
"I see a books store and a record store" he replied.  
"Now Hermiony, do you see anything in between those two stores?"  
"I see a pub with a sign that says 'The Leaky Cauldron.'"   
"Precisely," said McGonagall in a less harsh tone that seemed to indicate delight. "Powerful magic prevents muggles from seeing the Leaky Cauldron, because it is an entrance into Diagon Alley. But anyone with magic in his or her blood can see past that. And you all need to know the location because you will have to come here without me for the next six years. Next year, Hermiony will be able to take you to where you need to go."  
They walked into the Leaky Cauldron. The bartender called out. "Evening, Professor McGonagall. New Hogwarts student?"  
"Yes, Tom. This is Hermiony Granger, and her parents. No time to talk, we have to shop quickly."  
"Just one question. I haven't seen Hagrid lately. Will he be around soon? If not, I may have shut down."  
"Today is, what July 26th? He should be here in a few days."  
"Thanks, Professor. Have a good time at Hogwarts, Hermiony."  
"Thank you, Tom," said Hermiony politely. She was a little started though. The strangest people seemed to pop out of the woodwork in the Leaky Cauldron. They were all wearing costumes and brightly colored robes unlike any she had ever seen. Not one of them could pass for normal in the world she knew. Professor McGonagall went to the back of the pub, tapped a stone with her wand, and suddenly the wall opened up.   
Diagon Alley was revealed. Hermiony's jaw dropped in disbelief. It was like a fairy tale come true. Never had she seen such a peculiar street and she stared at everything, trying to take it all in. There were shops selling, did she hear them say "dragon livers"? Professor McGonagall seemed to know exactly where she was going and she led them toward a white marble building that towered over the small shops.   
"This is Gringotts. Here we will exchange your Muggle money. Any that you have left over, I suggest you give to your daughter so that she has some spending money at Hogwarts. Gringotts is run by goblins. Please don't stare at them. They don't like it. Some standard facts that you should know. The bank has branches all over the world, but this is the oldest building and the central location. The bank vaults extend several miles underneath London. Trying to steal anything is useless. Powerful magics protect Gringotts. And there are dragons guarding the most important vaults. This is the only place in the British Isles where dragons can kept legally."  
Without staring at the goblins, Hermiony looked all around at this beautiful building in awe. It was filled with the most interesting people she had ever seen, and that included in movies or on the telly. And there were dragons.   
After her parents exchanged their money, the group was ready to leave the bank. They went from shop to shop buying items on Hermiony's school list. She had bags filled with robes, a pointed hat, a cauldron, potion ingredients, a winter cloak, dragon hide gloves, a telescope, a crystal vial, brass scales, and all her schoolbooks.   
"Professor McGonagall, I would like to read some more books as background. What would you suggest?" asked Hermiony just before leaving Flourish and Blotts.  
And that was how Hermiony knew to buy Hogwarts, A History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, Modern Magical History, and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.   
"Thank goodness, she's not allowed to a broom, and we have no pets. This school is quite expensive." whispered her father.   
Professor McGonagall led them out of the bookstore. "We just need one final purchase, your wand. And then we should be close to the time when the portkey reactivates and you can go home. Come along, Ollivander's is this way."  
It was a dusty shop filled with boxes of wands. The old man with gray eyes who owned it acted kindly towards Hermiony. "I understand how hard it can be for a Muggle-born wizard or witch going to Hogwarts. You don't know anything. I am at a slight disadvantage too. Usually the parents' wands help me to know which wand will choose the customer. The wand chooses you after all.   
"I remember every wand I ever sold. Including Minerva's, so many years ago."  
Professor McGonagall gave him a steely smile, but Mr. Ollivander didn't seem to notice.   
Mr. Ollivander took some measurements and asked something about a wand arm. Then he asked her about her best attributes. Mr. Granger beamed. "She's quite brilliant."  
"Ah, so she'll be a Ravenclaw."  
"A what?" asked Hermiony  
"It one of the four houses. Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each one has quite a proud legacy."   
"Which house were you in Professor?" asked Hermiony.  
"I, like the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, was in Gryffindor and now I am the head of the house." Her tone made it clear that it was the end of that conversation.   
For about ten minutes, Hermiony waved around different wands and nothing happened. Then Mr. Ollivander gave her a wand made of a reddish-brown wood. She waved it above her head and sparks shot out.   
"A match!" cried Mr. Ollivander. "Ten and three quarter inches, maple, with a unicorn tail core. Minerva, you'll find this interesting. This wand and yours are sister wands. They were both made a century ago, but this one was never sold. Who knows," he said as he glanced at Hermiony with his gray eyes "She may well be a good disciple." He started to chuckle, but Professor McGonagall did not look amused.   
Finally the time came to leave. Arms full of packages, holding the mirror took great skill for the Grangers. McGonagall spoke up. "I'm not coming with you. No. Keep the mirror. It has no magical properties and besides, I took your lamp." She reached into her robes and pulled out an envelope. "This is your ticket to the Hogwarts Express." She dropped it in one of the parcels. "Go to King's Crossing. Walk through the wall between Platforms Nine and Ten. It's a fake to keep Muggles out. On the other side you will see Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Board the train. Don't let anyone see you. And Hermiony, I will see you in my transfiguration class. I'm telling you now that I'm a perfectionist. I expect nothing less than best from my students. The class is a lot of work and even more study. But you will learn how to perfectly transfigure anything by the end of your seven years. If you cannot be serious in my class then I suggest you not come to Hogwarts. Good day." She disappeared, or more accurately, she melted away as the Grangers were transported back to their living room. None of them wanted to move. And for the next half-hour, the three of them lay exhausted on the floor.   



	4. Chapter 3 - The Hat and the Train

Chapter III - The Train and the Hat  
For the next month, Hermiony spent all her time memorizing her textbooks. She even tried some simple spells, which to her (and her parents') surprise, worked. She read "Hogwarts, A History" at least five times and found that the most intriguing figures to be Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw, two of the founders. While much ink was spent describing the battle for supremacy between the heroic Godric Gryffindor and the malevolent Salazar Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were practically ignored. "It's a shame too, thought Hermiony. The book clearly states that they were the most powerful witches of their day." She was not sure that she wanted to be in Hufflepuff House though. The most remarkable wizards came from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor (which was her first choice, because she wanted to be in Professor McGonagall's house.) And she definitely wanted to stay away from Slytherin. Most of the evil wizards she read about came from Slytherin and it seemed like Salazar hated Muggle-born wizard and witches and that was why he left.   
There were times she wondered if going to Hogwarts was the right choice. As she read the other books she started to learn more and more about the dark wizards, particularly one called "Lord Voldemort" who so terrorized the wizard world that they could not refer to him by name, only "You Know Who" or "He Whose Name Cannot Be Mentioned". "It's silly to be afraid of a name," Hermiony thought to herself. But each of the books she read about Voldemort said the same three things. He was the most evil wizard ever and he and his followers nearly destroyed centuries of peace and calm in eleven years, he was afraid of the powerful Dumbledore, and a baby named Harry Potter defeated him through a miracle that no one could explain.   
Harry Potter intrigued Hermiony. His parents had been killed in the attack and he was sent to live with Muggles far away from the wizard world where no one would find him. He was the boy who lived (the only remnant from the battle was a lightning shaped scar) while the power of the terrible Dark Lord was broken. But what really interested Hermiony was that Harry was her age. Maybe he would start Hogwarts with her and perhaps he could even be the friend she yearned for. After all, they were both magical but raised in a non-magical world.  
The day finally arrived when Hermiony's parents took her to King's Crossing. The found Platform Nine and Three-Quarters with relative ease. She loaded her things on the train, got into her robes and bid her parents a tearful goodbye, promising to send them letters via owl. Hermiony scanned the crowd for Harry, then realized she didn't know what he looked like. She did see an older student with dreadlocks and a tarantula. She also saw a redheaded mother with five redheaded children.   
A pudgy boy about her age came up to her. "Hi. I'm Neville and I'm new. Have you seen my toad, Trevor?" he said somewhat sheepishly. He looked so pathetic and desperate that Hermiony's heart melted. Forget Harry Potter, if he's even here. This boy needed her help. He had this lonely, little, lost boy look. "I'm Hermiony Granger. I haven't seen your toad. But I'll gladly help you look for him." His face broke into a big smile. They boarded the train. As they walked and talked, she found out that his name was Neville Longbottom (the last name sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it), that he lived with his grandmother, and that he was very nervous.   
The first compartment they entered was filled with a bunch of girls. Neville seemed too nervous to speak, so Hermiony spoke up. "I'm Hermiony Granger. This is Neville Longbottom. He's lost his toad. Have you seen it?" The girls started to shriek in laughter. One of them, a short girl with a pug nose spoke up.   
"Longbottom, don't you know anything? Toads are better lost."  
Neville started to snivel and ran out. Hermiony thought that was quite a rude response, especially since someone had lost a dear pet. "We asked a simple question. You could have given a simple answer."  
The girl spoke again. "You say your name is Granger? I don't know any Grangers. Are your parents magical?"  
"No, I'm Muggle-born."  
"Oh, I get it. You're here to do our laundry."  
That was too much. "No. I'm here on my own merits, not because my parents got me in." She stalked out of the compartment, leaving the pug nosed girl with her mouth open in shock and fury.   
A boy ran by the two of them and he was shouting something. Hermiony wasn't sure, but she thought he said "Harry Potter's on the train!" Her first instinct was to run after the boy and find out which compartment Harry was in. But she met up with Neville, still sad over his toad, and promised him again that she'd help look. She went into each compartment, but no one saw Trevor. A witch with a snack tray passed by. Hermiony bought Neville a pumpkin pasty to make him feel better.   
They went to the next compartment.   
"I was already in there," Neville said.   
"Well maybe they've seen something since, and besides I want to meet as many people as I can."   
She entered the compartment. It was one of the redheaded boys with a dark-haired boy. The compartment was full of treats from the snack tray. "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. "We've already told him we haven't seen it," said the redheaded boy, far too rudely for Hermiony. But before she could answer, she noticed that his wand was out and he was about to do a spell. "Oh are you doing magic? Let's see it then."  
The boy was taken aback. Clearly he did not expect an audience. He mumbled some silly poem, which was supposed to turn his sleeping pet rat yellow. And, not at all to Hermiony's surprise, the spell was a fake. She let him know that she had successfully performed spells. Just to rub it in for his rudeness. Both the redheaded boy and the dark-haired boy were taken aback. Hermiony introduced herself. The redheaded boy was named Ron Weasley. And the dark-haired boy was "Harry Potter." Hermiony wanted to stare at him and ask him a million questions. But she remembered the screaming boy. Everyone on the train must have gawked at him already and she didn't want to do that. So instead she simply told him about where she read about him. Poor Harry never realized he was in any history books and she regretted not bringing them to show him. There was an awkward pause and Ron blushed. She guessed that he was not in any history books. She decided to break the silence by asking about houses, offering her own opinions and then dashing out to continue helping Neville.   
As soon as she left the compartment she gasped for breath, for an instant letting her composure slip a bit. She had met THE Harry Potter and he seemed - well . . . nice, but ordinary. It was the other one, Ron, who attracted her attention. She was not sure if she liked him or hated him. But she felt something. A burning sensation. No matter what her feelings may be, she would always have strong opinions about Ron Weasley.   
Hermiony continued to help Neville look for his toad. She met other students. There was a Terry Boots, twins Parvati and Padma Patil, Susannah Bones, she met three boys who were clearly Ron's older brothers. The eldest one, Percy, was a prefect. The other two, Fred and George, were twins in their third year. She was relieved to even meet some Muggle-born students like herself. One was Dean Thomas who was quite tall and quite handsome. Another was a curly haired boy named Justin-Finch-Fletchley, who was down for Eton before he got his acceptance to Hogwarts. He blanched when Hermiony told him that she could do some spells. It secretly pleased her to know that she knew more magic than he did. But the Muggle-born student who stood out most in her mind was an older Ravenclaw girl named Penelope Clearwater. She was intelligent, soft-spoken, and beautiful. "Perhaps Revenclaw is the best house," thought Hermiony. Hermiony asked Penelope about the Sorting Ceremony. Penelope smiled. "I can't tell you. I don't want to spoil the surprise. But don't worry. It's one of those things you'll always remember even after you've forgotten your own name."  
With no success, Hermiony and Neville headed toward their compartment. The time was drawing closer and students started to go crazy with anticipation. There was much commotion and getting through was difficult. As they passed Harry and Ron's compartment, Hermiony saw three boys walking out furiously. Two of them looked extremely big and dull. But it was the small one in the middle, a pale boy with flaxen hair that made Hermiony draw back. Her stomach started to turn. There was something about him that she hated, an instant dislike, and that surprised her. Perhaps her mother would call it "woman's intuition." Inside she heard one of the boys say a name, Draco Malfoy. It was an evil name and it could only fit the pale haired boy.   
Neville continued on, but Hermiony stopped to listen. It sounded like there had been a fight. Against her better judgment, she went to find out what happened and to see if she could help. But Ron snarled at her. Something about having to put on their school robes. Hermiony left as quickly as she could.  
As she walked back to check on her trunk, she stopped for a second. That boy, Ron, hated her. What did she do? Why was she always friendless? By age eleven, shouldn't she have someone to talk to her own age? It seemed like adults loved her, but other kids wanted to stay far away. Books were her only companions. She had desperately wanted Hogwarts to be different and she could fear the burning tears forming in her eyes.   
"No," she thought to herself with fierce resolve, forcing herself to stop crying. "Hogwarts will be different. I'll be in Ravenclaw where they cherish intelligence and I won't be alone anymore." Her eyes were still a bit moist by the time she got to her compartment door, but she wiped them with her sleeve before anyone could see them. She found her seat and sat lost in thought for the remainder of the trip.   
The train stopped. The students were told not to take any of their belongings - just leave the train. Hermiony heard a loud booming voice calling out "Firs year! Firs years!" She turned to look for the voice, and was shocked to see the largest, wildest man she had ever seen in her life. In "The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection" there was a section about giants, but this man was not large enough to be one of them. Maybe he had some giant blood. Harry called out to him, "Hello, Hagrid." Hermiony wondered how he knew Hagrid if he only lived among Muggles. Hagrid returned the greeting and then instructed all the first year students to get into boats to cross the lake.   
Much to her chagrin, she and Neville rode in a boat with Harry and Ron. But there was no time to reflect on that misfortune. First of all, Hagrid found Neville's toad. But more importantly, Hogwarts appeared in the distance. It was a castle with towers and spires that no Muggle architect could ever build. It was also the most magnificent thing she had ever seen. No book, not even "Hogwarts, A History" had prepared her for that sight. The boats approached the castle. As the students got out of the boats, Hagrid banged on the castle doors. To Hermiony's surprise, Professor McGonagall answered. "Thank you Hagrid, I'll take them from here."  
Hermiony shivered as the students walked down the hall. Professor McGonagall led the first years down a corridor and told them something about forming a line and smartening themselves up. And she spoke about a House Cup and how to get and lose points. But Hermiony barely heard her. She was too nervous and excited. Unfortunately, she had a bad habit of talking too much when she got nervous and started telling the girls next her that she wondered which spells she needed and that she had memorized all her textbooks. A few people gave her angry stares, but before anyone said anything to her, there was a scream. Twenty pure white ghosts came through the walls, talking about second chances and someone named Peeves who wasn't a ghost. Then the ghosts noticed the students.  
One of the ghosts, a friar, tried to put the first years at ease by telling them that he was in Hufflepuff and he hoped to see some of the students there. But before anyone could say anything else, Professor McGonagall shooed the ghosts away and led the first years into the Great Hall.   
There were four long tables and candles suspended in mid-air above to light the hall, but Hermiony barely noticed that. The ceiling, which seemed to go on forever into the night, attracted her gaze. "It's enchanted to look like the sky outside. I read about it in 'Hogwarts, A History'," she said to no one in particular. The first years stood in a line before the four tables and Professor placed a stool in front of them. On it she placed a ratty hat. Everyone in the hall started at it. Suddenly it sang. Hermiony suddenly understood why the sorting was so special - the hat sorted the student into houses according the virtues that best fit the house. Ravenclaws were intelligent, Gryffindors were brave, Hufflepuffs were loyal and hard working, and Slytherins were cunning. The hat read their souls.  
Professor McGonagall took out a parchment and read a name. As each first year's name was read, he or she would don the hat and it called out which house the student was in. And the older students of that house would go wild with applause when someone was selected to be with them. Terry Boot and Mandy Brocklehurst were selected for Ravenclaw. "My new classmates," Hermiony thought resolutely.   
Lavender Brown was called. "GRYFFINDOR," the hat shouted. Hermiony felt a sharp pang of envy.   
Finally it was her turn. She tried strode confidently to the hat and eagerly jammed it on her head.   
"My, oh my," said a voice. "How interesting. You expect to be in Ravenclaw. You have so much potential and can go far. And I see that you are very smart, one of the cleverest students I've ever come across. That says quite a bit, mind you. Ravenclaw is a great house and it would sharpen your intellect. But you don't really want to go there, do you? No. Your heart says you want to be elsewhere. You want to be in GRYFFINDOR." The hat shouted that last word and wild applause came from the Gryffindor table, though Hermiony swore she heard Ron Weasley groan. The Gryffindors were quite excited. Ron's older brother Percy, the prefect she met on the train, got up and shook her hand. She took a seat next to Lavender Brown and Seamus Finnegan, the other new Gryffindor first years.   
Much to her surprise, Neville was sorted into Gryffindor too. He actually headed toward the table while still wearing the hat. Hermiony couldn't suppress giggles as he returned it.   
Draco Malfoy, was sorted into Slytherin, immediately. "Good," thought Hermiony. "I don't have to be near him." The nasty, pug-nosed girl from the train, Pansy Parkinson was her name, was also sorted into Slytherin. The Patil twins were actually sorted into different houses - Parvati in Gryffindor and Padma in Ravenclaw. When Harry Potter was called, whispers of disbelief and awe flew throughout the hall. And when he was sorted into Gryffindor, the entire table went crazy, yelling and screaming, climbing on the benches, stamping their feet. "We got Potter! We got Potter!" she heard Fred and George yell.   
The sorting continued. The handsome boy, Dean Thomas was placed in Gryffindor too. When Ron was also placed in Gryffindor, his brothers and Harry banged the table loudly. Another first year was sorted, and the ceremony was complete.   
As everyone calmed down from the excitement, a man with a long white beard and half-moon spectacles, got up from his chair at the center of the professors' table. Clearly, this was the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.   
He gave a short address of funny words ("Nitwit! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak!") and then food appeared on the tables. As everyone started to talk about their backgrounds, Hermiony (a little embarrassed) started to chat with Percy about Transfigurations and about Professor McGonagall - who was now sitting at the head table next to Dumbledore. Percy (very cute in a nerdy sort of way) was telling her how hard it was and how they would start small. But he also told her how wonderful the class was and how great (and tough) a professor McGonagall was. Hermiony filled with the desire to succeed in her class and make McGonagall proud (she was not the woman who appeared to be proud often.) She got to meet all the other students in Gryffindor. Speaking to Percy, Fred, and George, she learned that their two eldest brothers, Bill and Charlie, had graduated and another sibling, a sister named Ginny would start next year. The Weasleys were very much an all-magical family.) She met Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, and Alicia Spinnet, three older girls who were quite pretty and very eager to answer questions. The first year class was only full eight people, herself, Harry, Ron, Seamus (an Irish boy whose father was a Muggle and whose mother was a witch), Dean, Neville, Parvati, and Lavender. Hermiony also met Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, the Resident Ghost of Gryffindor who was quite a delightful fellow. Much to his consternation students called him "Nearly-Headless Nick" because when he died, the man in charge of executing him was unable to completely sever head from his body. Now as a ghost he could use his neck as a hinge.   
After the feast, Dumbledore got up again and gave some standard warnings - magic was forbidden in the corridors, there was a list of things students couldn't have. The Forbidden Forest was off limits and apparently older students didn't always remember that. There were tryouts for something called Quidditch ("It's the best sport in the world, but you have to learn how to fly a broom first," Angelina whispered to her.) He also said the students needed to avoid the third floor corridor on the right hand side unless they wished to die a painful death. Harry laughed, thinking it was a joke, but Percy looked very serious. Then Dumbledore directed everyone to sing the school song in whatever tune they liked. Fred and George sang slowly and finished last.   
After dinner Percy led the first years to Gryffindor Tower. Out of nowhere a poltergeist named Peeves appeared and threw walking sticks at him. Percy threatened him and Peeves left. The entrance to the tower was a picture of a fat lady in a pink dress. Like all the pictures in this new world, the fat lady could move around and even talk. She asked for the password. Percy gave it to her ("Caput Draconis") and the portrait swung open. Hermiony took a brief look at the common room before she, Parvati, and Lavender were directed to the first year girls' bedroom. The red curtained, four poster beds were absolutely beautiful and even more comfortable than they looked. Hermiony's last thought before falling asleep was that she hoped that the three of them would become great friends.  



	5. Chapter 4 - Coping with Classes, Coping ...

Chapter IV - Coping with Classes, Coping with Life 

Hogwarts Castle was like nothing Hermiony had ever seen before. But it brought out the best in her. There were a hundred and forty-two staircases. Some led to places while others led to nowhere. Some changed on Fridays. Some had invisible steps. She memorized all of them by noting them during the day and then drawing maps at night while in the common room. She especially wanted to make sure that she did not need to ask for directions. Older students were helpful, as was Nearly-Headless Nick. But she learned not to ask Peeves or Argus Filch, the caretaker, who clearly did not like students. Neither did Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris who made Hermiony very nervous. Another thing she learned was not to use the first floor girls bathroom. A ghost named Moaning Myrtle, who was miserable all the time, talked about a girl named Olive Hornsby, and was offended by everything, haunted it. Often Myrtle would break down in tears and cause floods in the toilets. 

While the castle was a completely new experience, classes were almost exactly the same as in her old school. There were some that were good, but some were quite terrible. Professor Binns, who taught history despite dying, was the most boring man she ever met. She desperately tried to pay attention to his droning, but was unable. After classes ended, she would go to the library, run by a nasty vulture-like librarian named Madame Pince, and read everything that Binns covered in class. She knew she was the only person in her class to do that, as the library was usually devoid of first years. Professor Quirrell, the Defense against the Dark Arts professor, was unable to impart anything. In fact he seemed to be afraid of his students. Some older students whispered that Defense against the Dark Arts professors rarely last the year. Potions was, without a doubt, the worst class. The professor, Severus Snape, was the head of the Slytherin House and hated all the Gryiffindors. And since it was a joint class with the Slytherin first years, it made the situation all the worse. Snape seemed to hate Hermiony for knowing all the answers, he hated Neville for not being the best student, but her really hated Harry even more just for existing. She could not understand it, especially since in Charms class, Professor Flitwick squealed when he called out Harry's name. In fact he was so excited, he fell off the pile of books he was standing on, as he was quite short. Hermiony liked Flitwick, and Charms quickly became a class to which she looked forward. Herbology was also not a bad class. Professor Sprout was a funny and interesting little witch, but by far Hermiony's favorite class was Transfigurations. Professor McGonagall was tough. But she was also honest with the class and tried her best to get everything across. She wrote complex notes on the board. But a funny thing happened as Hermiony copied them into her notes. Unlike the rest of her classmates, she understood it all. She had an epiphany. Transfigurations were based on certain basic formulas just as math was based on arithmetic. As soon as she mastered those basic formulas, nothing would be impossible. It would just come with more knowledge and experience. She also understood why it was considered so difficult. Transfiguration was based on logic, and some of the most famous wizards, like Uric the Oddball and Wendlin the Weird, had no sense logic. But Hermiony did. 

Another funny thing happened. When Professor McGonagall handed out matches, Hermiony had a vision of herself transfiguring it into a silver needle. Visions like that were not knew to her, but they usually scared her. This time she used it as a guide to turning her match into a needle. She was the only one who succeeded. Professor McGonagall gave her a smile, the first real smile Hermiony ever saw from her. However the scowls of her classmates, especially Ron, punctured her happiness. She was still lonely. 

Hermiony spent most of her free time in either the library or the common room. She did not get along with Lavender and Parvati as well as she had hoped. Not that she disliked them, it was just that the Gryffindors all paired up into friends. Harry and Ron were inseparable, as were Seamus and Dean and Lavender and Parvati. That left only her and Neville. Neville was in an awkward place. No one had any problems with Neville. They all liked him and always tried to make him feel better. They just never included him. Hermione also liked Neville very much, but he needed so much help all the time it became difficult to bear. Their relationship was very unequal. She felt that she would have been a better older sister to him instead of a friend. Still, he was the sweetest person at Hogwarts. Shortly after the term began, her parents were alerted to an owl post station near their house. They often wrote letters to her, and on her birthday they sent a cake. She left it in the common room. Everyone took a piece, but few wished her a happy birthday. All the Gryffindor first years forgot her. Except Neville. He bought her some chocolate frogs and the two of them stayed up that night in the common room, just eating the frogs and looking at the wizard cards inside. Then just before they went to bed, he sang "Happy Birthday". 


	6. Chapter 5 - Fear of Flying

Chapter V - Fear of Flying 

[Ed. Note - Much of this chapter deals with Hermiony's interactions with other Hogwarts students, particularly Harry and Ron. While most is pure invention, in scenes where I am dealing with what J.K. Rowling already wrote, I kept her dialogue, but changed the perspective from Harry to Hermiony.] 

The first flying lesson approached and Hermiony was quite nervous. She was not afraid of falling, but she was afraid she would fail. Flying was not a subject that books could teach. Three days before the first lesson, Hermiony tracked down Penelope Clearwater, the Ravenclaw girl who was so friendly on the train, to ask for advice. 

"Penelope," said Hermoiny, "Is there anything I can do to prepare for my first flying lesson?" 

"Don't sweat it so much," Penelope replied, "Everyone eventually learns. Some people take longer, but Madame Hooch has never let a single student graduate Hogwarts without being able to fly." 

"How long did it take you?" 

"I was flying during the first lesson, but it took me about three before I really felt comfortable?" 

"Was that faster or slower than most?" 

Penelope laughed. "I think it was about average. At least for Muggle-born students like us. Most students from wizarding families have flown brooms for years. I'll tell you the truth, Hermiony. I'm not going to be playing Quidditch for England anytime soon, but I can definitely get from place to place. Don't worry about it. It's not so hard. Just don't get nervous. Good luck." 

That did not make Hermiony feel much better, but it did give her an idea. She ran to the library and checked out "Quidditch Through the Ages". She looked at the list of people who had previously checked it out. Angelina Johnson's name was there. Maybe that meant Angelina used it to learn how to fly. That evening Hermiony waited in the common room until Angelina got back from class. 

"Angelina," Hermione cried out, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" 

"Sure," answered Angelina. 

"How well do you fly?" 

"On a broom? Well I've been flying since I was little. And this year I'm a Chaser on the Qudditch team this year, so I guess I fly pretty well." 

Hermione was crestfallen. Angelina used the book to learn Quidditch tactics not flying tips. Still there was no harm in asking. 

"Angelina, you read `Quidditch Through the Ages', right?" 

"Good book. I think it'll come in handy for the matches." 

"I just borrowed it from the library. Will it help me learn to fly?" 

"I don't know. I read for strategies, but I guess it couldn't hurt." 

"Thanks, Angelina," said Hermiony trying not to show her disappointment. 

"No problem. Hey, you're going to watch our Quidditch matches this year, right?" 

"Yeah. I've never seen it before." 

"It's like nothing else. And we have a great team this year. Well what we have is great. We haven't found a Seeker yet, but Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet are the other two Chasers and they fly really well. Fred and George Weasley are our Beaters and Oliver Wood, if you haven't met him you should, he's a fifth year and he's a great guy. Sorry, Oliver is the team captain and he's our Keeper. All we need is a good Seeker and the Cup is ours." 

Hermiony had no idea what she was talking about, but she pretended that she did. "Well good luck. I hope you win all your matches." 

"Thank you. Good night Hermiony." Angelina left. 

Hermiony was in a funk. That night she read the book. Angelina's speech made more sense now, or it would have if she remembered it. But at least she knew the terminology now. Over the next two days she internalized everything she could about Quidditch, but still did not know how to fly. 

Finally the day of the first class arrived. That morning at breakfast Hermiony was the most nervous she had been since the Sorting. And like at the Sorting she started to talk too much about what she read. She knew it bored everyone else, but she just couldn't seem to stop. Neville was trying to pay attention, because he was even more nervous than she. She was interrupted when a barn owl dropped a package in front of Neville. He opened it to find a glass ball the size of a large marble. It looked like it was full of white smoke. 

"It's a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things - this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red - oh..." The Remembrall had turned red, "... you've forgotten something...." 

At that moment Draco Malfoy and his two thug friends, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle walked up to the Gryffindor table. Hermiony had been watching Malfoy ever since she first saw him on the train. The more she saw him, the more she disliked him. And the feeling was mutual. He made no attempt to hide his jealousy that a Muggle-born girl knew more about magic and received better grades than he did. Malfoy swiped the Remembrall out of Neville's hands. Harry and Ron jumped up, but before they could start a fight, Professor McGonagall intervened. Malfoy gave back the Remembrall and walked away in disgust. 

At three-thirty that afternoon, flying lessons began. It was a double session with the Slytherins. As Hermiony looked out at the unfriendly faces of Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson, and the others, she wished that they could have joint classes with the Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs instead. 

The instructor, Madame Hooch, was a woman with short gray hair and eyes that did not miss anything. She reminded Hermiony of her former physical education teacher, a woman who looked like she had at one time been an athlete and still kept in shape, but could not avoid the effects of age. Madame Hooch had a gravelly voice and she barked out orders to the students. "What are you waiting for? Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up." 

The broomsticks looked old and ragged. Hermiony thought that her mother's old broom in the kitchen closet would have made for a safer flight. 

Madame Hooch continued to shout out orders. "Stick out your right hand over the broom and say UP!" 

Not completely to Hermiony's surprise, her broomstick simply rolled over. Her broom's little response was still better than most of the others. Neville clearly did not want to fly at all. What astonished her though was that Harry's leapt into his hand. How could he know what he was doing? He was raised by Muggles, just like her. 

Madame Hooch then taught them how to mount the brooms the right way and gave them instructions for floating. "Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle - three - two." 

The whistle never came. Neville's nerves got the best of him and he jumped up too quickly. He kept rising despite Madame Hooch shouts. "What's that boy's name?" she asked angrily. "Neville Longbottom," responded Seamus. Immediately Madame Hooch's anger faded into concern. Hermiony's heart was beating fast. What if he got hurt? He has no idea how to fly. And then as soon as she felt tears in her eyes, Neville fell to the ground. The broom, good riddance to it, rose over the Forbidden Forest. Neville was alive, but his wrist was broken and he was trembling from the pain and fear. Madame Hooch, looking as scared as Neville, calmed herself and in a surprisingly soothing voice she said "Come on, boy, - it's all right, up you get." Neville would be taken to the infirmary wing where Madame Pomfrey, the school nurse, would take care of him. As Madame Hooch walked off with her arm around Neville, she turned to the rest of the class, and in her harshest voice she called out, "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say `Quidditch.' Come on dear." 

Hermiony had no intention of touching her broomstick. She could hardly think in her relieved panic. But then she heard malicious laughter from the Slytherins followed by Parvati Patil telling Malfoy to shut up. Pansy Parkinson made some snide remark about Parvati and Neville for which Hermiony wanted to slap her, but was also not quite sure she heard it correctly because she saw something that angered her more. Malfoy held Neville's Remembrall and threatened to leave it in a tree. 

Harry stood up to Malfoy. But before he could grab the Remembrall, Malfoy snatched a broom and started to fly. Harry grabbed one too. Hermiony knew she had to stop him. "No! Madame Hooch told us not to move - you'll get in trouble," she yelled. But to no avail. Harry ignored her, straddled a broom and kicked off into the air. Hermiony could barely look. How could Harry possibly know how to fly? But he did. Somehow it came naturally to him, and he was excellent. He caught up to Malfoy, but before there was a standoff, Malfoy threw the Remembrall and flew back to the ground. Harry, about fifty feet in the air, followed the Remembrall down and caught it a foot above the ground, pulled his broom up straight, and tumbled gently onto the grass. But Harry's problems were not over. Professor McGonagall had seen him fly. And her fierce look of fury and shock made the Gryffindors cringe. Both Parvati and Ron tried to explain what happened, but Professor McGonagall refused to listen. She took Harry away. And Hermiony felt extremely sorry for him. They were not friends, but she liked him well enough and did not want to see him sent home. Especially since he was Harry Potter. The laughter of the Slytherins was too much to bear, but Madame Hooch returned before anything further could be done. 

For the duration of the lesson Hermione felt sympathy, not just for Harry, but for Ron who looked sick to his stomach. Even the fact that she felt comfortable in the air by the end of the lesson gave her little satisfaction. She did not want anything to happen to Harry. 

That is, until dinner when Harry returned and was not only punished, but somehow rewarded. Hermiony did not know what had happened, but Harry looked happier than he had since the Sorting. Hermiony was beside herself with unexpressed rage. He had made her worry so much and then nothing happened? How could he possibly charm Professor McGonagall? That was not fair. 

Apparently Malfoy thought so too, as he challenged Harry to a Wizard's duel. Harry accepted. Actually Ron accepted and agreed to be Harry's second. The duel was set for midnight in the trophy room. 

Two different thoughts bothered Hermiony. First, and most importantly, Harry and Ron could get hurt. But they would also be breaking the rules by leaving Gryffindor tower that late and rule breaking cost points in the house cup competition, which she knew all the Gryffindors were desperate to win. So she tried to appeal to their sense of reason. 

"Excuse me," she said. 

Ron, whose dislike of her was becoming quite obvious, snarled "Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" Hermione ignored him. She was not talking to Ron, only Harry. 

"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying-" 

"Bet you could," said Ron. 

Hermiony was stung. She was looking out for them, and he was insulting her. But she ignored him again. "-And you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you." 

"And it's really none of your business," said Harry. 

"Good bye," said Ron, practically crowing with glee. 

Though offended by both of them, Hermiony was not going to be deterred. If she could not reason with them now, maybe she could before they left. A part of her wanted to let them get caught. It would teach them a lesson. But she could not let down Gryffindor. And a small part of her hoped that perhaps once Harry saw she was right he would start treating her like a friend instead of a nuisance. 


	7. Chapter 6 - The Consequences of Stupidit...

Chapter VI - The Consequences of Stupidity 

Once she got back to Gryffindor Tower, she waited until Parvati and Lavender went to sleep before trying to confront Harry and Ron again. She was not sure exactly what to do. Just before going to bed she had even considered asking Percy for help, but decided against getting him involved. At eleven o'clock she put on her pink bathrobe and went down to the common room to wait. A half-hour later Harry and Ron come down in their bathrobes, wands drawn. They were almost at the portrait hole when Hermiony finally caught them. "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry." In the quiet empty room her voice frightened all three of them. 

"You," hissed Ron, his face turning white with rage. "Go back to bed!" 

"I almost told your brother," said Hermiony furiously whispering at Ron, "Percy - he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this." 

For the first time, Harry looked at her with the same disgust she usually only saw in Ron's face. It upset her and she froze. Ron motioned for Harry to follow him out the portrait hole. As she saw them leave, Hermiony unfroze and followed them out. She needed to stop them. 

"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing Switching Spells." 

She knew it was the wrong thing to say, but in her anger she no longer cared. She was trying to save them from getting expelled, but they just kept telling her to go away. "All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so..." She stopped talking. The fat lady was gone from the portrait and there was no way she could get in. 

"Now what am I going to do?" she asked, nearly in tears of rage. 

"That's you're problem," said Ron, "We've got to go, we're going to be late." 

They walked off. Hermiony had a vision of her standing there and Argus Filch discovering her. The next day she, not Harry and Ron, would be on the Hogwarts Express. So she ran after them and caught up just before they reached the end of the corridor. "I'm coming with you," she said. 

Ron started to argue with her but she retorted, "D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up." Her voice was full of anger and smug satisfaction. For the first time she began to hate the two of them. 

Ron's rage matched her own. "You've got some nerve-" he began, but Harry quieted their arguing. He heard something. All three of them held their breaths, thinking it was Mrs. Norris. 

But it was Neville. He was asleep on the floor, curled into a fetal position. He awoke as they drew nearer and started thanking them for finding him because he forgot the new password. His voice, now a frantic high pitched squeak, echoed through the corridor. 

Ron spoke first, "Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's `Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere." 

"He didn't even ask about poor Neville's wrist," thought Hermiony indignantly. However, Harry did. Neville told him it was fine and healed. When Harry suggested he wait for them, he begged them to take him with him. The Slytherin ghost, the terrifying Bloody Baron, had already passed by twice and scared him. He was afraid to be alone. 

Ron was livid. "If either of you get us caught," he hissed, "I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you." 

Hermiony was about to tell Ron that she already knew the curse, she knew the counter-curse, and she also knew how to defend herself from any spell Ron could conjure, but before she could, Harry preemptively told her to shut up and they all headed toward the trophy room. 

The trophies glimmered in the moonlight and illuminated no one. Even without hearing Filch's inevitable arrival, Hermiony could have predicted that Malfoy meant to set a trap for Harry and Ron. But sure enough, Filch was approaching, telling Mrs. Norris to sniff out the students. The quartet tried to quietly back away through the corridor, but Neville tripped and took Ron down with him, knocking over a suit of armor and causing a loud ruckus. They did not need Harry to yell "RUN!" to know what to do. They did need a map however, as they ran through a secret passageway, ending up in Flitwick's classroom. Hermiony felt a pain in her chest from running. 

"I - told - you," she gasped in pain, frustration and anger. "I - told - you." 

Ignoring her Ron, stated the obvious, "We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower." 

But Hermiony was not through yet. She was furious with Harry. She expected better of him. "Malfoy tricked you. You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you - Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off." 

She could see in his face that he knew she was right but didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing it. 

Getting back to the tower proved to be exceedingly difficult. As they left the classroom, Peeves bumped into them and started to taunt them. Ron took a swipe and him. Peeves did not kindly to that and started shouting for Filch. They ran to the end of the corridor, but the door was locked. They were desperate as they heard Filch approaching. Hermiony needed to do something. She grabbed Harry's wand and recited "Alohomora." The unlocking spell was the first she taught herself before her arrival at Hogwarts and she knew it perfectly. Years later she realized how important that simple spell was to her life. But at that moment it opened the door for them. They all rushed in and shut the door behind them. 

Outside Peeves refused to tell Filch where they went, as the two of them hated each other passionately. Inside they realized that they would have been better off with Filch. They were in the forbidden corridor and now they knew why it was forbidden. 

There was a three-headed dog the size of a small house growling and staring at them. It looked like it had been surprised by their arrival. Hermiony felt sick, certain that she was going to die. And like with many people faced when with death she noticed things that she would not have normally seen. The dog was standing on a trapdoor. Suddenly she felt pulled from behind. Harry had opened the door, dragged her out, and then shut it again. The four of them started to run toward the tower. Hermiony no longer cared about Filch. She just thought about the dog. It must be a guard dog. And what was under it must be precious. And it would have killed her to protect it. And it was Harry and Ron's fault. They ran four flights of steps to the Fat Lady's portal. She started to ask about where they were. 

"Never mind that - pig snout, pig snout," said Harry, doubling over from exhaustion. They ran into the common room and collapsed into the soft armchairs. None of them could say anything. Neville looked the worst of any of them. 

Then Ron asked the most asinine question that Hermiony ever heard him ask. "What do you think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school? If any dog needs exercise, that one does." 

Hermiony wanted to punch him in the stomach. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you? Didn't you see what it was standing on?" 

Harry snorted. "The floor? I wasn't looking at its feet. I was too busy with its heads." 

"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something." She stood up and snarled at them. "I hope you're pleased without yourselves. We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed." 

She stalked off, up the stairs to her room. Parvati woke up. "Where were you?" she yawned. 

"If you have any friendly feelings for me, never ask that question again," Hermiony said. But it did not matter; Parvati had fallen back to sleep. 

Hermiony was shaking. The rage, the fear, the loneliness, every emotion she felt since arriving at Hogwarts built up inside her and burst forward. She silently cried herself to sleep. 


	8. Chapter 7 - The End of Lonliness

Chapters VII - The End of Loneliness 

For the next few days, Hermiony could barely sleep through the night. Once she even woke up to the sound of her own screams. Lavender and Parvati also woke up and neither was particularly pleased. There was a definite and building tension between the three of them. Hermiony was the outsider, the know-it-all, and Lavender and Parvati were unable to warm up to her. Sometimes, the two of them would go out to meet Parvati's twin sister, Padma and her friends in Ravenclaw. Neither would ask Hermiony if she wanted to come along. There was another problem too. Both Lavender and Parvati were from wizard families. They could talk about things that Hermiony, in her few months in this strange new world, could barely comprehend. And besides, the two of them constantly giggles like idiots, something that particularly irritated Hermiony. 

Hermiony could barely even look at Harry and Ron. She never spoke to them. Once when Harry approached her to ask her what she thought was underneath the trapdoor. She gave him an icy glare and stalked away. The only person to whom she could talk was Neville, and he was so shaken up by what had happened, that he could barely talk to anyone. He did not, however, blame Harry and Ron. 

But a week after the incident, six large screech owls dropped a large parcel in front of Harry. Then another owl dropped a card in front of him. Ron and Harry read the card and left with the package. Hermiony refused to care. She was not going to follow them. She just finished eating. Just then she realized she forgot a book from her room. Breakfast was over. She raced to Gryffindor tower. On the marble staricase, she saw that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Professor Flitwick, Harry, and Ron were discussing something. She heard Harry explain to Flitwick that he had got a Nimbus Two Thousand Racing Broom and it was thanks to Malfoy. Malfoy looked furious as Harry and Ron continued up the stairs. It all made sense to Hermiony. Harry was on the Quidditch team because of his amazing flying which Malfoy allowed him to prove by the Remembrall incident. For breaking the rules and nearly getting her killed, he was being rewarded. She could not stand the unfairness. 

"So I supposed you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" she called out angrily while climbing the steps. 

Harry responded first, ever so sweetly. "I thought you weren't speaking to us?" 

"Yes, don't stop now. It's doing us so much good," said Ron with a sneer across his face. 

Hermiony continued up the steps. Once she got back to her room, where she was alone, she let out a loud scream. "I hate them both," she thought to herself, "Why did the Sorting Hat put me with them?" 

As she suspected, Harry Potter had been named to the Quidditch team. The youngest house player at Hogwarts in over a century. The entire house of Gryffindor celebrated him and cheered for him whenever he entered the common room. Hermiony could only bring herself to glare at him a little less. However there were no further problems between her and Harry and Ron until Hallowween. 

The decorations in the Great Hall were the most beautiful Hermiony had ever seen. She could smell the baking pumpkins and could hardly wait until the feast. She was hoping the day would fly by. 

But, as with any day you hope would fly by, it went quite slowly. There was just too much energy in the air and too much to concentrate on. By the time Charms class arrived, Hermiony was practically jumping out of her seat. But today was the day Professor Flitwick finally let them float feathers. Hermiony knew there was no problem. Already she had been able to float heavier objects, and had been able to do so since before she arrived at Hogwarts. Flitwick put the students into pairs. Parvati was naturally paired with Lavender, her other twin. Hermiony hoped that Flitwick would put her with Neville, as he would need the most help. But, in trying to catch Harry's eyes, Neville accidentally got himself paired with Dean Thomas. Harry was paired with Seamus, which meant that Ron was paired with her. Both of them were plenty miserable, but she was unable to tell which one was angrier. 

Flitwick was giving instructions that were completely unnecessary for Hermiony. Ron was paying extra attention so he could avoid looking at her. No one in the class seemed to be able to get it quite right. Seamus and Harry set their feather on fire. Ron kept shouting, "Wingardium Leviosa!" and waving his arms around, but was unable to get his feather to move at all. 

Finally Hermiony's temper got the better of her. "You're saying it all wrong. It's Wing - GAR - dium Levi - OH - sa, make the `gar' nice and long." 

Ron was livid. "You do it if you're so clever," he said, practically shouting. 

Hermiony steadied herself, waved her wand slightly, and calmly said "Wingardium Leviosa" - correctly. The feather rose and hovered over their heads. She smiled sarcastically at Ron. "See. It's not hard at all," she whispered to him. His face fell. 

Professor Flitwick started to clap. And then he squealed with pleasure. "Oh, well done! Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!" 

She flushed with pleasure, but quickly composed herself when she realized everyone else was glaring at her. 

Following Neville, Harry, Ron, and Seamus, Hermiony left the room. Ron was still in a bad mood and did not bother to keep his voice down. 

"It's no wonder no one can stand her. She's a nightmare honestly." 

That was too much for Hermiony. She felt the hot tears streaking down her cheeks. She knew everyone felt like that, but to actually hear someone say it aloud, even someone she disliked... Her breath came with difficulty and they sounded like sobs. She ran, knocking into Harry. And she kept running. Not knowing where she was headed, she found her way to one of the girls' bathrooms. She leaned against a wall, and then curled up on the floor in a fetal position, just crying. 

"I want to go home," she thought. "I try and I try and I can't make any friends. I hate them all. I miss Mum and Dad. Why can't they be here now? I just want to go home. I'll write a letter tonight and tell them I'm coming home. Then I'll find out from Professor McGonagall how to get back. I'm probably not the first student who couldn't fit in. And I'm sure with a Muggle-born person, they'll understand. It's almost November and I don't fit in. I'll never fit in. I'll never have any friends. All I do is spend my time in the library alone. I'm going to be all alone for the rest of my life, so I might as well be lonely where I have my parents." 

She kept thinking these thoughts for the rest of the afternoon. And the tears and sobs did not stop. When Parvati accidentally walked in on her, Hermiony went into a stall, but did not even pretend to stop crying. She knew that everyone would be in the Great Hall enjoying themselves, but she no longer cared. 

Much time had passed but Hermiony stayed in the bathroom feeling sorry for herself. At one point she thought she heard a large group of people rustling past her. She wanted to check it out, but just did not have the strength. About five minutes later, she smelled the most pungent odor she had ever smelled and she heard the door lock. She left the stall and saw a troll staring at her with a hungry look. She screamed. 

She slunk back against a wall and trembled. Was the school trying to kill her? First the three headed dog and now this. She did not notice anything this time. She could only see the troll and hear his grunts. She completely missed Harry and Ron slip into the bathroom and try to distract the troll. She barely heard Harry as he was yelling at her and trying to pull her toward the door. She was unable to move any muscle in her body. Harry and Ron fought the troll. Hermiony, unable to see anything, sunk to the ground. Then she heard Ron cry out, "Wingardium Leviosa." The troll's club flew out of its hand and knocked it out. After a minute Hermiony meekly asked from the safety of her wall, "Is it - dead?" 

"I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out." He wiped off his wand. He had stuck it up the troll's nose and it was quite dirty. 

Suddenly, Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell entered the bathroom. Quirrell started to whimper just like Hermiony. Snape bent down over the troll. But Professor McGonagall stared with white-hot anger at Harry and Ron. 

"What on earth were you thinking of?" she said almost calmly, but with clear anger. She looked at Harry and Ron, whose was frozen with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in the dormitory?" 

Hermiony looked around the room. Snape stared almost malevolently at Harry. McGonagall, in her anger, had yet to notice Hermiony. Quirrell was in no condition to see anything. Ron looked almost as petrified. Harry could not lift his head. She could just stay against the wall in the shadows and not be noticed. But Ron and Harry had saved her life at the risk of their own. Instead of being rewarded, they would be punished. She refused to let that happen, whatever the consequences to herself. 

In a soft voice, she called out, "Please Professor McGonagall - they were looking for me." 

"Miss Granger!" Clearly her presence surprised McGonagall. 

Hermiony got to her feet, with no small amount of effort. "I went looking for the troll because I," she had to think quickly, "I thought I could deal with it on my own - you know, because I've read about them." 

This false confession shocked everyone. Ron dropped his wand. Harry looked at her, mouth agape. 

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead by now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived." 

Harry and Ron were still staring at her. McGonagall looked at the three of them, and Hermiony realized that she saw right through the story. 

"Well - in that case . . ." McGonagall began, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?" 

Hermiony hung her head in mock shame. She looked up a bit and thought she saw a slight twinkle in McGonagall's eye, though her voice gave away nothing. 

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," she said, "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses." 

Hermiony left, confused for a second. "Oh," she thought to herself, "the Halloween feast. They must have taken everyone to the houses because of the troll." 

As she walked toward the tower, she thought about Harry and Ron. "They came to find me. Even Ron. I've misjudged them." 

Thoughts like that swam through her mind until she got to the tower. "Pig snout," she said to the Fat Lady and entered into the common room where everyone was eating. No one noticed her. And she preferred it that way. She wanted to talk to Harry and Ron when they came. To thank them. She stood by the door. 

A few minutes later, they came through the portrait hole. She had a whole speech prepared, but none of them could look at each other. They all muttered "Thanks" and went to get some food. No one had, noticed they were gone. Not even Percy. 

She was not sure why exactly, but from then on she and Ron and Harry were inseparable. They even invited her to meet Hagrid, who that first day seemed imposing, but now was like a favorite uncle. Hermiony especially loved his fearsome looking, but gentle boarhound, Fang. Hermiony, in turn, helped them study, which was a boon to Harry who was swamped with Quidditch. She even lent him "Quidditch Through the Ages" so that he could learn the history and strategy of the game. 

But the troll incident was still not resolved with one person, Professor McGonagall. Hermiony desperately wanted to tell her the truth, but did not dare. But one day after class, McGonagall told Hermiony, "Miss Gragner, please follow me to my office." 

They entered a room surrounded by books neatly lined along shelves. All over there were animal figurines, mostly cats. On the far wall, there was a small picture of a young couple and a baby. The young couple was smiling and playing with the baby swaddled in pink blankets. Hermiony was curious about whom they were, but was too afraid to pry. 

"Please, sit down," said McGongall. 

Hermiony sat at one of the desk chairs. They were plush, red and gold velvet and quite comfortable. McGonagall sat at the chair behind her desk. 

"Hermiony," she said gently, and then stopped. Hermiony looked at her in amazment. It was the first time that McGonagall had ever called her by her given name. 

"Hermiony, I want to know about the troll. You didn't really go after it did you?" 

Hermiony was in shock, but she had to keep up the pretense. "Yes, Professor I . . ." but McGonagall waved her off. 

"Your story was convincing. Professor Snape thought that the five-point penalty was far too lenient. But I have always been able to see the past the truth. I know you lied to us to protect Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley." 

"Yes. I'm sorry," replied Hermiony, hanging her head in real shame. 

"Why did you lie?" asked McGonagall. 

"They saved my life. I didn't want them to get in trouble." 

"I didn't realize that you were close to them that they would risk their lives instead of hunting for a professor. In fact, I was under the impression that you didn't like them and vice versa." 

"No, we didn't like each other then. I don't know why they tried to find me." 

"I also noticed you weren't in the Great Hall during the feast. Why?" 

"It's embarrassing, Professor. You'll think less of me." 

"No, I don't think I will." 

"I was in the bathroom. Crying. I wanted to go home so badly." 

"Were you unhappy with your magical education." 

"No," replied Hermiony emphatically, "I was just lonely." 

"And now?" Professor McGonagall asked. "Are you still lonely?" 

"No, Professor. I feel like I'm starting to find my place." 

"Hermiony, you're one of the most gifted students I've ever taught. I knew that the first time I saw you in your house. And I noticed over these past few months that you haven't been happy here. Yet after the troll attack, when most students would be traumatized, you actually seemed happier. I wanted to know why. 

"I have to say that very few students have the courage to lie to me. And even fewer have the loyalty to protect even their friends when they can avoid trouble for themselves. I won't forget that. In fact, I'm giving Gryffindor back the five points I took away. But if anyone asks, you will reply that I was impressed by your performance today in class. 

"And now, Miss Granger, we both have another class, so I will bid you good day." 

The two of them left the office and went opposite ways along the corridor. Hermiony felt strange. Professor McGongall treated her kindly, almost gently. It made Hermiony feel warm and appreciated, but at the same time, McGonagall was the last person she ever expected to treat her like that. And she called her "Hermiony". It just seemed so unlikely. By the time Hermiony got to History of Magic, she was thoroughly confused. Luckily Binn's boring lecture gave her a chance to think a little bit more about that conversation. 


End file.
